INTERPRETING EXILE

Ancient Israel and Its Literature

Steven L. McKenzie, General Editor

Editorial Board

Suzanne BoorerVictor H. MatthewsTh omas C. Römer

Benjamin D. SommerNili Wazana

Number 10

INTERPRETING EXILEDisplacement and Deportation in Biblical and Modern Contexts

INTERPRETING EXILE

DISPLACEMENT AND DEPORTATION IN BIBLICAL

AND MODERN CONTEXTS

Edited by

Brad E. Kelle,

Frank Ritchel Ames,

and

Jacob L. Wright

Foreword by Rainer Albertz

Society of Biblical LiteratureAtlanta

INTERPRETING EXILEDisplacement and Deportation in Biblical and Modern Contexts

Copyright © 2011 by the Society of Biblical Literature

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by means of any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permit-ted by the 1976 Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed in writing to the Rights and Permissions Offi ce, Society of Biblical Literature, 825 Houston Mill Road, Atlanta, GA 30329 USA.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Interpreting exile : interdisciplinary studies of displacement and deportation in biblical and modern contexts / edited by Brad Kelle, Frank R. Ames, and Jacob L. Wright.

p. cm. — (Society of Biblical Literature ancient Israel and its literature ; v. 10)Includes bibliographical references and index.ISBN 978-1-58983-604-4 (paper binding : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-1-58983-605-1 (electronic format)1. Jews—History—Babylonian captivity, 598–515 B.C. 2. Bible. O.T.—Criticism,

interpretation, etc. 3. Exile (Punishment) in literature. 4. Exiles—History. I. Kelle, Brad E., 1973– II. Ames, Frank Ritchel. III. Wright, Jacob L.

BS1199.B3 I58 2011221.8'305906914—dc22 2011039403

Printed on acid-free, recycled paper conforming to ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992 (R1997) and ISO 9706:1994

standards for paper permanence.

Contents

Abbreviations ....................................................................................................ix

ForewordRainer Albertz .............................................................................................1

An Interdisciplinary Approach to the ExileBrad E. Kelle ................................................................................................5

Part 1: Archaeology and History

An Anthropological Model for the Investigation of the Archaeology of Refugees in Iron Age Judah and Its Environs

Aaron A. Burke ..........................................................................................41

Shedding New Light on the Dark Years of the “Exilic Period”: New Studies, Further Elucidation, and Some Questions Regarding the Archaeology of Judah as an “Empty Land”

Oded Lipschits ...........................................................................................57

Deportation and Demography in Sixth-Century b.c.e. JudahAvraham Faust ..........................................................................................91

Th e Deportation of Jerusalem’s Wealth and the Demise of NativeSovereignty in the Book of Kings

Jacob L. Wright ........................................................................................105

Assyrian Representations of Booty and Tribute as a Self-Portrayal of Empire

Marian H. Feldman ................................................................................135

vi CONTENTS

A Fragmented History of the ExileBob Becking..............................................................................................151

Part 2: Sociology and Identity

Th e Cascading Eff ects of Exile: From Diminished Resources to New Identities

Frank Ritchel Ames .................................................................................173

Lost Space and Revived Memory: From Jerusalem in 586 b.c.e. to New Orleans in 2009

Christl M. Maier......................................................................................189

Rebuilding Th at Wicked City: How the Destruction, Exile, and Restoration of New Orleans Elucidates Judah in the Sixth and Fift h Centuries b.c.e.

Michael M. Homan .................................................................................203

Imagining Hope and Redemption: A Salvation Narrative among the Displaced in Sudan

M. Jan Holton ..........................................................................................217

Th e Impact of War on Children: Th e Psychology of Displacement and Exile

Hugo Kamya ............................................................................................235

Part 3: Psychology and Trauma

Reading War and Trauma: Suggestions Toward a Social-Psychological Exegesis of Exile and War in Biblical Texts

Daniel L. Smith-Christopher ..................................................................253

Deuteronomy 7 in Postcolonial Perspective: Cultural Fragmentation and Renewal

William Morrow ......................................................................................275

Reading into the Gap: Refractions of Trauma in Israelite ProphecyDavid M. Carr .........................................................................................295

A Vocabulary of Trauma in the Exilic WritingsDavid G. Garber Jr. ................................................................................309

Reversing Fortune: War, Psychic Trauma, and the Promise of Narrative Repair

Janet L. Rumfelt .......................................................................................323

Part 4: Texts and Comparison

Th e Prose and Poetry of ExileSamuel E. Balentine ................................................................................345

Sites of Confl ict: Textual Engagements of Dislocation and Diaspora in the Hebrew Bible

Carolyn J. Sharp ......................................................................................365

Th e Emasculation of Exile: Hypermasculinity and Feminization in the Book of Ezekiel

T. M. Lemos .............................................................................................377

Daughter Zion as Homo Sacer: Th e Relationship of Exile, Lamentations, and Giorgio Agamben’s Bare Life Figure

Amy Meverden ........................................................................................395

Exiling in America: Th e American Myth and the Spectral ChristShelly Rambo ...........................................................................................409

“Th ere Was No Place for Cholly’s Eyes to Go”: (Black-on-Black) Crime and (Black Male) Displacement in Toni Morrison’s Th e Bluest Eye

Nghana Lewis ..........................................................................................423

Contributors ...................................................................................................441Index of Primary Texts .................................................................................443Index of Modern Authors.............................................................................453

CONTENTS vii

Abbreviations

AASOR Annual of the American Schools of Oriental ResearchAB Anchor BibleABD Anchor Bible Dictionary. Edited by D. N. Freedman. 6

vols. New York: Doubleday, 1992.ABG Arbeiten zur Bibel und ihrer GeschichteABRL Anchor Bible Reference LibraryADPV Abhandlungen des deutschen PalästinavereinsAfOB Archiv für Orientforschung: Beiheft AnBib Analecta biblica ANET Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament.

Edited by J. B. Pritchard. 3rd ed. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969.

Ant. Josephus, Jewish AntiquitiesAOAT Alter Orient und Altes TestamentAOTC Abingdon Old Testament CommentariesASOR American Schools of Oriental ResearchATANT Abhandlungen zur Th eologie des Alten und Neuen Testa-

mentsATD Das Altes Testament DeutschAtiqot ‘AtiqotBA Biblical ArchaeologistBAIAS Bulletin of the Anglo-Israel Archeological SocietyBAR Biblical Archeology ReviewBASOR Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental ResearchBBB Bonner Biblische Beiträge BETL Bibliotheca ephemeridum theologicarum lovaniensiumBib BiblicaBibInt Biblical InterpretationBInS Biblical Interpretation Series

-ix -

x ABBREVIATIONS

BJS Brown Judaic Studies BMJ British Medical JournalBMW Th e Bible in the Modern WorldBN Biblische NotizenBTA Bible and Th eology in AfricaBTB Biblical Th eology BulletinBWANT Beiträge zur Wissenschaft vom Alten und Neuen Testa-

mentBWAT Beiträge zur Wissenschaft vom Alten TestamentBZ Biblische Zeitschrift BZAW Beiheft e zur Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissen-

schaft CAD Th e Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the

University of Chicago. Edited by Martha T. Roth. 21 vols. Chicago: Th e Oriental Institute, 1956–2009.

CBQ Catholic Biblical QuarterlyCC Continental CommentariesCDC Centers for Disease ControlCHANE Culture and History of the Ancient Near EastCOS Th e Context of Scripture. Edited by W. W. Hallo. 3 vols.

Leiden: Brill, 1997–2002.CurBS Currents in Research: Biblical StudiesDSM Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental DisordersDtr Deuteronomistic (History; Writer)EdF Erträge der ForschungEncJud Encyclopaedia Judaica. 2nd edition. Edited by F. Skolnik.

22 vols. Detroit: Macmillan, 2007.ErIsr Eretz-IsraelFAT Forschungen zum Alten TestamentFCB Feminist Companion to the BibleFEMA Federal Emergency Management AgencyFOTL Forms of the Old Testament LiteratureFRLANT Forschungen zur Religion und Literatur des Alten und

Neuen TestamentsGCT Gender, Culture, Th eoryHALOT Koehler, L., W. Baumgartner, and J. J. Stamm, Th e Hebrew

and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Translated and edited under the supervision of M. E. J. Richardson. 4 vols. Leiden: Brill, 1994–1999.

ABBREVIATIONS xi

HALOT-SE Koehler, L., W. Baumgartner, and J. J. Stamm, Th e Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament. Study edition. Translated and edited under the supervision of M. E. J. Richardson. 2 vols. Leiden: Brill, 2001.

HAR Hebrew Annual ReviewHBT Horizons in Biblical Th eology HCOT Historical Commentary on the Old TestamentHen HenochHSM Harvard Semitic MonographsHUCA Hebrew Union College AnnualHUD Department of Housing and Urban DevelopmentIBC Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and

PreachingICC International Critical Commentary IDP Internally Displaced PersonIEJ Israel Exploration JournalInt InterpretationJAMA Journal of the American Medical AssociationJBL Journal of Biblical LiteratureJHS Journal of Hebrew ScripturesJHNES Johns Hopkins Near Eastern StudiesJNES Journal of Near Eastern StudiesJPT Journal of Pastoral Th eoloyJRA Journal of Religion in AfricaJSJSup Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism JSOT Journal for the Study of the Old TestamentJSOTSup Journal for the Study of the Old Testament: Supplement

SeriesJSS Journal of Semitic StudiesJTS Journal of Th eological StudiesKAI  Kanaanäische und aramäische Inschrift en. H. Donner and

W. Röllig. 2d ed. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1966–1969.KAT Kommentar zum Alten TestamentLAI Library of Ancient IsraelLHBOTS Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament StudiesLSJ Liddell, H. G., R. Scott, H. S. Jones, A Greek-English Lexi-

con. 9th ed. with revised supplement. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.

MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

xii ABBREVIATIONS

NEAEHL Stern, Ephraim, ed. Th e New Encyclopedia of Archaeo-logical Excavations in the Holy Land. 4 vols. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993.

NBBC New Beacon Bible CommentaryNCB New Century BibleNEA Near Eastern ArchaeologyNIB Th e New Interpreter’s Bible. 13 vols. Nashville: Abingdon,

1994–2004.NICOT New International Commentary on the Old TestamentNIDOTTE New International Dictionary of Old Testament Th eology

and Exegesis. Edited by W. A. VanGemeren. 5 vols. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997.

nrsv New Revised Standard VersionOBO Orbis biblicus et orientalisOBT Overtures to Biblical Th eologyOTL Old Testament LibraryOTM Oxford Th eological MonographsOTS Old Testament StudiesPEQ Palestine Exploration QuarterlyPNAS Proceedings of the Israeli National Academy of SciencesProof Prooft exts: A Journal of Jewish Literary HistoryPRSt Perspectives in Religious StudiesPTSD Post-Traumatic Stress DisorderQad QadmoniotRANE Records of the Ancient Near EastRB Revue bibliqueRevExp Review and ExpositorRIMA Th e Royal Inscriptions of Mesopotamia, Assyrian Periodsrsv Revised Standard VersionSAA State Archives of AssyriaSAHL Studies in the Archaeology and History of the LevantSBLABS Society of Biblical Literature Archaeology and Biblical

StudiesSBLAcBib Society of Biblical Literature Academia BiblicaSBLAIL Society of Biblical Literature Ancient Israel and Its Litera-

ture SBLBAC Society of Biblical Literature Th e Bible and American

CultureSBLDS Society of Biblical Literature Dissertation Series

ABBREVIATIONS xiii

SBLEJL Society of Biblical Literature Early Judaism and Its Litera-ture

SBLMS Society of Biblical Literature Monograph SeriesSBLRBS Society of Biblical Literature Resources for Biblical StudySBLStBL Society of Biblical Literature Studies in Biblical LiteratureSBLSymS Society of Biblical Literature Symposium SeriesSBLWAW Society of Biblical Literature Writings from the Ancient

WorldSemeiaSt Semeia StudiesSHANE Studies in the History of the Ancient Near EastSHBC Smyth & Helwys Bible CommentariesSJOT Scandinavian Journal of the Old TestamentSO Symbolae osloensesSTAR Studies in Th eology and ReligionSTW Suhrkamp Taschenbuch Wissenschaft SWBA Social World of Biblical AntiquityTA Tel AvivTranseu TranseuphratèneTynBul Tyndale BulletinUF Ugarit-ForschungenUNFPA United Nations Population Fund UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for RefugeesVAB Vorderasiatische BibliothekVT Vetus TestamentumVTSup Supplements to Vetus TestamentumYOSR Yale Oriental Series, ResearchesZAW Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft ZDPV Zeitschrift des deutschen Palästina-Vereins

Foreword

Rainer Albertz

The present volume, which emerged from the ongoing discussion of the SBL Warfare in Ancient Israel Section, is a remarkable enterprise. It intends to examine the exile of ancient Israel and Judah in conjunction with the general phenomenon of exile in its various ancient and modern manifes-tations. This enterprise, which tries to include a wide range of interdisci-plinary and comparative explorations, promises to be fertile for produc-ing both a better understanding of ancient Israel’s exilic experience and a higher sensitivity toward modern refugees and migrant peoples through the means of biblical texts.

The main problem for a proper understanding of the exile of ancient Israel and Judah is the paucity and fragmented character of our historical sources. Nearly nothing is known about the deportees from the north-ern kingdom during the years 732-720 b.c.e. This is likewise true for the deportees from the southern kingdom of the year 701 b.c.e., who are men-tioned in Sennacherib’s inscription and illustrated on his famous Lachish relief, but not mentioned in the Bible and therefore almost forgotten. A little bit more is known about the Judean deportees under Neo-Babylo-nian rule (597, 587, and 582 b.c.e.), and our knowledge of their further destiny in Babylonia will perhaps increase once the cuneiform tablets from āl-Yahū̮du and Našar have been published. But since this so-called “Babylonian exile” constitutes a lacuna in the Bible’s historiographical texts, we know only some events of its beginning and its possible end, while the period in between is nearly unknown. Fortunately, archaeology can provide some estimations of how life went on in Judah during this period, although they are still disputed. Because of this historical uncer-tainty, some recent scholars have regarded the Babylonian exile as a mere myth and downplayed its significance. Yet the fact that this event provoked a sudden increase of biblical literature in Babylonia and Judah that tried

-1 -

2 INTERPRETING EXILE

to cope with the catastrophe and find an orientation for a new begin-ning speaks against these recent assessments. The present volume, which includes results from sociological, anthropological, and psychological studies on the one hand and from cross-cultural migration, diaspora, and disaster studies on the other hand, may not only help to fill some of the gaps of our historical knowledge, but also provide us with the possibility of a more realistic estimation of the economic, social, psychological, and theological difficulties with which Judeans—both in exile and remaining in the land—probably had to cope.

A deepened understanding of biblical texts that emerged from the crisis of exile can also provide Jews and Christians with a higher degree of sensitivity for dealing with comparable catastrophes and migration or refugee problems in modern societies. Those who have learned to analyze the hardship of the Judean exiles may be better prepared to distance them-selves from their native societies and to sympathize with foreign refugees or dislocated people. The present volume shows some impressive exam-ples in this direction. When I wrote Israel in Exile, I did not consider that I am a refugee of World War II. I have no memory of my home in Upper Silesia, now Poland, from which my mother carried me westward when I was one and a half years old. Nonetheless, the sense of being a refugee that I felt throughout my life wherever I lived in Germany could have pro-vided a little more sensitivity toward the severe psychological and religious problems that the Babylonian exiles must have experienced, although they seem to have been economically and legally integrated in a manner similar to what I experienced. I had never thought of this conjunction before, but the present volume revealed to me this possible hermeneutical predisposi-tion.

A book that promotes such an interdisciplinary approach must cope with many methodological questions. Archaeology, historiography, soci-ology, and psychology all have their own methods; their results have to be brought into contact very carefully. Cross-cultural comparisons between ancient and modern societies always need some critical reflection about whether phenomena are truly comparable or can only be compared on a rather abstract or metaphorical level, if at all. Daniel L. Smith-Christo-pher’s contribution in this volume correctly states that “we all make social and psychological assumptions when we interpret historical texts.” An advantage of this book is that it endeavors to explicate and clarify these unconscious assumptions and reflect upon their appropriateness. I thank the editors, Brad E. Kelle, Frank Ritchel Ames, and Jacob L. Wright, for

ALBERTZ: FOREWORD 3

tackling this demanding project and hope that it will amplify our knowl-edge on the phenomenon of exile in all of its dimensions and foster the methodological reflections of such an explicitly interdisciplinary approach.

Rainer AlbertzMünster, June 2011